Phantom of the not so Abandon Dorm
by Mistress of odd pairings
Summary: updated Banner has been trapped in a duel monsters body and slowly begins to lose his mind. what happens now when the abandon dorm in reopened and Duel Academy's star female is Alexis? has banner completely lost it, or is she the key to releasing him?
1. Chapter 1

A/n: okay, so someone's probably already done this, but hopefully I can do it a little better. XD it has to be done at least once. I decided to make Jaden Alexis' confidant/best friend, cause he's gotta be in here, but I really don't see them going out and he's too enamored with his cards to notice. This is loosely based on the Phantom of The Opera plot. So here's the cast list:

Christine - Alexis

Phantom – Banner in Witty Phantom's body

Raoul – Zane

The managers – Chancellor Sheppard and Dr. Crowler

Meg- Jaden

Prologue: Birth of the Ghost

"There it is!"

"Hush! We'll be heard!"

"In the middle of the woods? Come on, we don't have all night, let's go!"

"Slow down, I'm the one with the flash lights."

"I told you, we don't need them. The lower chamber has torches."

"Where should we set up?"

"Right here...in the middle of the eye. Let's hurry, it's almost midnight."

"Why did we have to pick the abandon dorm for this? What's wrong with the Obelisk basement?"

"Professor Banner wasn't allowed in there or in the Ra dorm, and the Slypher dorm is too close to that cliff to have a basement. Now sit down and shut up, if I had known you were going to be such a sissy I'd have brought someone else."

Two boys from Obelisk sat in the middle of the shadow board below the abandon dorm.

Professor Banner had been their favorite teacher and they believed they'd found a way to bring him back.

They began the spell, each chanting ancient words that neither knew the exact meaning of.

It was dark and powerful magic they were playing with, and before the night was done, they would have only half succeeded in bringing Banner back to life.

The shadows took their bodies before they were done.

At dawn, crumpled in the middle of the millennium symbol, lay a heaving form, beside him a blank card that had been thrown into the mix by the struggling boys as they were surrounded.

Professor Banner opened his eyes and stood in a confused trance.

He stumbled forward and up to the first floor.

Passing a dust-covered mirror, he stopped as he saw something dark in it.

Reaching out to wipe away years of neglect was the first sign of something very wrong.

A white-gloved hand was in place of his own.

Slowly he rubbed away the thick gray covering his reflection and when he saw himself, he screamed unlike any mortal man could.

Large, catlike eyes stared back at him, and bat-like ears protruded several inches from his head.

His complexion was sickeningly orange, and his once lush black hair was now scraggly and yellow.

He fell to his knees, covering his face as he screamed again.

"I'm a monster! What has happened to me!"


	2. Chapter 2

A/n: YAY! Two reviews already! I should be able to do about a chapter a day, as I'm very familiar with the base plot and am pretty sure where I'll be taking this. In case you hadn't guessed from the cast list (or you've never seen POTO) The Pairing is Alexis-Zane, or to be more specific, it's a triangle Banner-Alexis-Zane. I've decided to do four paragraphs per chapter, as when I try to do more I get stuck. Sorry for not updating yesterday though, I was at Islands of Adventure all day. So, please enjoy, and thanks for the reviews so far!

''

Chapter one: Zane's Return

* * *

''

Alexis and Jaden sat facing each other on her bed in the Obelisk dorm, several stacks of cards between them.

Jaden smiled suddenly as he picked up a Rocket Warrior.

"Thanks for helping me with my deck Lex, I'll return these cards later today."

She smiled too, but something seemed to be on her mind and she was even quieter than usual.

"It's okay, these are extras, keep them if you want to."

Jaden frowned slightly and set the card in his keep pile.

"Lex, you feelin' okay? You look kinda pale. What's wrong?"

She looked away, fighting off a blush.

"No, it's nothing like that..."

Jaden suddenly smirked and patted her shoulder.

"Oh I get it, it's 'cause Zane's coming back today right? You can tell me, come on!"

She blushed even more and placed a hand to her burning cheek.

"It's just that...well he...sort of kissed me when he said goodbye. I never thought I'd see him again and now he's coming back. I just hope he remembers me."

Jaden fell backwards off the bed laughing and Alexis glared.

"What's so funny Jaden Yuki!"

He sat up shaking his head.

"Lex, how could he forget you in two years? I know it seems like it's been longer than that, but I'm sure he remembers all of us."

Alexis closed her eyes for a moment.

"Have you heard anything about the two boys that went missing last month? There are some seriously wild rumors flying around the girls locker room about a phantom in the abandon dorm."

Jaden lost his smile and shook his head.

"The rumor back in the Ra dorm is that they summoned a duel monster and it killed them."

Both turned to look toward the door as a third voice entered the conversation.

"Whatever is there won't be there for long. As part of a deal with Sheppard, I'm sending work crews out to fix it up. If those boys are there, they'll be found shortly."

He smiled brightly as Alexis stood and slowly approached him.

"I missed you Alexis."

She blushed slightly more and smiled back.

"I...really missed you too."

He glanced over her shoulder at Jaden who was making kissy faces at himself in the mirror.

"Jaden, are you going to say hello or are you waiting until our rematch tomorrow?"

He promptly stopped and spun around.

"Hehe, sorry Zane, I didn't want to interrupt you two love birds and all! Hey, wait, a rematch! Awsome!"

Alexis turned and glared at Jaden.

"We are not love birds! Zane and I are very close friends."

Jaden smirked.

"Sure, that's why you've been blushing all day? Cause you're _just_ friends!"

Zane gently placed his hand on her shoulder before she had a chance to come back at him.

"I have to go now, but if you meet me in our place tonight, I have something for you. As for you Jaden, I couldn't come back to duel Academy and not play one of the top ranked duelists in the world. If you can beat me, you'll be ranked number three."

Alexis turned back to him, ignoring the goofy look on Jaden's face.

"I'll be there."

He smiled softly and kissed her hand before leaving.

She was broken from staring after him as Jaden piped up.

"Awww is Alexis in LOVE!"

She promptly turned on him and smacked him over the head.

"You can be so immature sometimes!"

He chuckled at this and pulled his cheek down, sticking his tongue out at her.

"Yup! I know you are but what am I?"

She rolled her eyes and flopped down into the chair at her dressing table.

"Hey Jaden, I sort of have something to do, so why don't you just take the cards you have and we'll go over more of them later."

He shrugged and grabbed his keep pile.

"Thanks again, see you later."

She gave a sigh of relief as he closed the door on his way out.

Smiling suddenly, she pulled open the drawer to her right and picked up a small white box.

'Now this can go back to its rightful owner.'

* * *

''

* * *

Zane stood staring up at the stars that night waiting for Alexis.

He turned as he noticed a shadow approaching him.

"Alexis?"

The shadow remained silent and tossed an envelope to his feet and then vanished.

He picked it up and turned it over to find a wax seal of the millennium eye.

Breaking it, he pulled out the small note.

Scrawled in a familiar handwriting, in red ink, detailed this persons intensions.

'There will be dire consequences should you continue to restore the abandon dorm. L B'

He crumpled it up and tossed it into the sea.

"I don't know who you think you are, but I am not giving up that easily. I don't take kindly to threats either."

Suddenly there was a hissing voice in his ear and he froze.

"I suggest you heed mine."

With a sharp pain to the back of his head, everything went black.

* * *

''

* * *

When Zane woke, Alexis was sitting beside him, holding an ice pack to his forehead.

The moment he opened his eyes she set the ice pack aside and took his hand.

"Zane, do you feel okay? What happened?"

He groaned, placing his hand on his forehead as he sat up.

"Not here, it's not safe, help me in."

She nodded and helped him stand, allowing him to lean on her as she helped him into the Obelisk dorm.

Once in a chair, he closed his eyes.

"Someone doesn't want me to rebuild the abandon dorm and whoever it was hit me over the head with something heavy when I refused to stop."

She frowned as he flinched when she reached out to see if he was bleeding.

"Just hurts, you aren't bleeding. Let me go get you some water."

He took her wrist as she began to walk away.

"Alexis...thank you."

She smiled softly.

"It's nothing."

He smiled as he watched her walk away for a moment.

When she returned she handed him the glass and sat beside him.

"Zane, are you sure you're okay? I was so scared when I went down to the dock and found you like that."

He nodded.

"My head may be sore for a few days, but otherwise I feel fine."

He took her hand and kissed her palm.

"There was a reason I want to get you alone."

Her eyes widened for a moment but then closed as he released her hand.

"We could go up to my room."

They were startled by a high-pitched screeching sound coming from the upstairs balcony and turned to see Dr. Crowler.

"Not the students in _MY_ dorm!"

Zane sighed deeply and stood.

"I apologize for the way this looks Doctor, but I can assure you those were not my intentions. I need to speak with Alexis alone, she simply offered her room as the place because I was just attacked on the dock."

The second Crowler realized it was Zane, everything changed.

"Why Zane, it's so good to have you back, I didn't realize you'd already arrived! Please forgive me for being so rude, but you understand right?"

He nodded.

"Of course. However at the moment what's more important is finding out who attacked me."

He looked down at Alexis who had also stood.

"Now, if you'll excuse us Doctor, I really need to see Alexis alone."

Crowler bowed to him.

"Why of course! We'll get whoever attacked you first thing in the morning. Good night!"

Zane smiled at Alexis and held out his arm for her to take.

"I don't think that's such a good idea, we don't want people to get the wrong impression. I think we should be safe in the garden."

Alexis nodded with a smile.

"You're right. Oh, I have something for you."

He opened the door for her and lead her out into the garden.

"As I have I for you."

They sat together on a bench and Alexis reached into her pocket and pulled out the white box, handing it to him with a soft blush.

"Do you remember the card you went into the sea to return to me right before you left?"

Zane smiled and nodded as he took the box.

Lifting the lid he found the very card she was talking about.

"I thought you should have it instead."

He gently ran his thumb across the metallic picture of a red scarf floating on the waves.

"Scarf of Mystic Waves. It's a powerful magic card. Are you sure you don't want to keep this?"

She nodded silently and he smiled.

"Thank you. Now, I have something for you."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a similar white box, only this was velvet covered and handed it to her.

"I spent the last two years earning quite a bit of my own money by dueling in tournaments around the world but I kept feeling like I was missing something. Then I found this and I realized I was missing you."

She held the box for a moment as she looked up at him.

"What I'm trying to say Alexis, is that I really like you and I want to know if you'll go on a date with me Friday night. Even if you decide not to go, please take this."

She held her breath for a moment as she opened it to find a beautiful sapphire pendant.

On the back of the setting there were strange yet beautiful symbols etched into the back.

"Zane, where did you get this? It's so beautiful. Thank you."

He took her hand and looked into her eyes.

"It's an antique gem from the early sixteen hundreds. I found it in an old store when I was visiting America. The man who sold it to me said the symbols on the back are an ancient spell."

He smiled brightly as she took it up from the case.

"Allow me."

She got chills as she felt his warm breath on her neck when he leaned close to hook the necklace.

"It looks stunning with your eyes. So what do you say? Dinner Friday on the mainland?"

She smiled and nodded.

"I'd love to."

He leaned in closer and rested his hand on her waist, looking into her eyes.

"Alexis?"

She stared at him for a moment.

"Yes?"

His voice was a low whisper as he spoke.

"May I kiss you?"

She merely had to smile and closed her eyes as he kissed her softly.

She sighed inwardly as he stood, reaching his hand out to her.

"I'll walk you to your door. It's getting late, I'll see you tomorrow?"

She nodded with a smile and took his hand.

He pulled her up and wrapped his arms around her, kissing her once more before they went back in.

Unknown to either, they had been watched by a strange shadow just beyond the glass.

The eyes began to glow an eerie green and a low growl emanated from it's throat.

'What irony. The one thing I need to be human again, is hanging around one of my old students neck. I am truly sorry Alexis, but you will have to surrender that necklace to me.'

He glared as he focused on Zane.

'And as for you, you had better stop your construction on my home...at least until I can bee seen in the light of day again.'

* * *

''

* * *

Lyman Banner entered the basement of the abandon dorm and lit the torches along the walls.

He'd used some of the old furniture from upstairs to make himself a comfortable room.

Two towering stacks of books lay beside the desk and several loose papers were scattered atop it.

They were formulas and spells he'd been working on to try and at least reverse the damage that had been done to him.

Better off dead than looking like this.

He dropped down onto the bed with a sigh as he glanced around.

'I won't let you take this away from me Zane. This is all I have left in the world. If any of your men come down here, I shall be forced to kill them.'


	3. Chapter 3

A/n: okay soo since it's been quite a while since I've seen any of Zane's cards, I'm not going to write a duel this time. Thanks for the reviews so far! Keep reviewing please!

''

Chapter Two: The First Search

''

Alexis woke Tuesday morning to the noise of a large crowd in the hall.

She dressed quickly and stepped out to see Zane standing on a table with a piece of paper.

"If everyone is listening now, I will continue."

He smiled as he looked up at her.

"This contest is for female duelists only. There will be three winners. First runner up will receive a room in the new Excel dorm and five hundred dollars. The second runner up will receive a room in the new Excel dorm, and one thousand dollars, plus an ultra rare Dragon glider. There are only twelve in existence and I have three of them. The grand prizewinner will receive the exclusive sky pad in the Excel dorm. This contest is open to all female students. It takes place over three days and starts one week from today so ladies, get your decks and study, because you could be the first in the sky pad."

He turned and taped the paper to the wall as the crowd dispersed.

Alexis smiled as he jumped down and walked up to her.

She giggled as he kissed her hand.

"Good morning lady. I trust you'll be cheering me on this afternoon."

She nodded silently and took his arm as they began to walk.

Suddenly she frowned and looked over at him.

"Have the found whoever it was that attacked you yet?"

He frowned as well and shook his head.

"There's a search underway but they don't have much to go on. There were some footprints leading a few places last night. Alexis, I want you to be very careful. Whoever it was had followed us and was standing right outside. They may have heard me talking about your necklace and whoever it was went back to the abandon dorm."

She nodded, gently squeezing his sleeve.

He stopped and looked into her eyes.

"There's one more thing I'm concerned about."

She stared back into his eyes as he took her hands.

"Those two boys were found just inside...they're still alive but I have the feeling whatever they were doing brought back the powers that Banner sealed away. There was a spell book in ones arms and it was book marked to a resurrection spell."

Her eyes grew wide.

"You think they were trying to bring someone back to life?"

He nodded solemnly.

"Professor Banner to be exact. They must have failed miserably."

She looked confused for a moment.

"Wait, how do you know it was him they were trying to summon?"

He took a deep breath and pulled a small photo clipped from a yearbook from his pocket.

"This was near by. I believe they may have succeeded in summoning something, though I doubt it was actually the good professor. Due to this, all the construction workers refuse to enter the basement."

Alexis nodded.

"I can't really blame them. It's just plain creepy down there and you weren't around when that guy kidnapped me."

Zane looked shocked.

"When did this happen!"

She looked away.

"Third year, when Jaden first arrived and before Adacus returned. I have my suspicions who hired him, but I can't name anyone...at least not in _this _dorm."

Zane gently placed his finger beneath her chin and turned her to face him.

"In any case, please don't go anywhere alone at night. The abandon dorm will be finished and renamed by the end of the week so until then I'll be busy. If you leave your room at night, please don't leave the garden unless someone is with you."

She nodded and he smiled softly as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Shall we have breakfast together?"

She smiled brightly at this as he escorted her down the stairs.

"That would be lovely."

''

Later that day Alexis sat up in the seats in the big duel ring, watching as Jaden and Zane began their duel.

She had already predicted the outcome.

Jaden had gotten even better in the two years that Zane had been gone, and she knew they were evenly matched now.

Suddenly her attention was drawn away from the intense duel by movement out of the corner of her eye.

Looking up into the teachers box, she saw a shadowy figure dash across the windows.

She then glanced down to the front row where she saw both of them, and Chancellor Sheppard.

Suddenly the duel wasn't so interesting anymore, and this could be who, or what attacked Zane.

If she caused a comotion they might get away so she decided to go after this shadow herself.

As a senior year student, Alexis had access to that room, and as a personal friend of Sheppard, given permission to watch any duel from there that she chose at any time she wasn't in class.

So she made her way to the room, unaware that a pair of catlike eyes had spotted her movement and were watching her closely.

She slinked up to the door quietly but just before she swiped her key card, it opened and she screamed as a hand pulled her in.

"Thank you for making this easy Alexis."

She screamed again as the shadow pulled her closer.

"What do you want! Let me go!"

He reached out and grabbed the silver chain around her neck.

"This is mine!"

She shoved him back and he fell against the speaker button.

Everyone's attention was drawn to the window as they heard Alexis scream when he lunged at her.

He succeeded in tearing off the necklace this time and ran, shoving her away as he clambered for the door.

He stopped and turned to her, his eyes beginning to glow as he spoke.

"If you follow me you'll regret it!"

Her heart was pounding as he disappeared down the hall.

Zane was the first one to reach the door, shortly followed by Jaden.

"Alexis! Are you all right!"

She shivered as they heard his hissing voice all around.

"I am everywhere and I will get the right necklace next time."

Zane rushed forward and caught her as she fell with a sigh.

"Alexis!"

He settled her to the floor, holding her closely as he stared wildly around the room.

"Mark my words Phantom! You will not touch her again for if you do, I will kill you where you stand!"

The room fell silent as Sheppard and the other teachers pushed their way through the crowd.

Out of nowhere a note fell to Crowler's feet.

He read it aloud as he broke the same seal as had been placed on Zane's.

"Dear Teachers and staff. Until I get what I want, I will run this school. If you must insist upon continuing construction on this new Excel dorm, I require a sum of thirty thousand yen each month. This will be left in the laundry shoot on floor two every first Sunday of the month. Should these demands be ignored, a terrible disaster will occur. L. B."

Crowler let out a loud screech as he crumpled the note and threw it to the floor.

"Thirty thousand yen! He must be crazy if he thinks he can bleed that amount out of us!"

Zane nodded.

"Under the circumstances I must agree. He's already harmed and threatened Alexis and I both, there's no telling what he'll do next. We must not give in to his demands. I want guards posted outside of Alexis room until we capture this mad man."

He glanced at the concerned Jaden as he stood and lifted Alexis into his arms.

"I'm sorry our duel had to be canceled, but I believe you understand. If you'll excuse me now, I will tend to her until she wakes."

''

Crowler and Sheppard stood in Sheppard's office that afternoon.

"You cannot be serious Mr. Sheppard! How can you sit by and allow this to happen!"

Sheppard sat at his desk signing a check.

"I have a school to run Doctor, I have a personal responsibility to keep these children safe and until we catch him, we can't just let him do whatever he wants. If we comply with this money request, he'll stay quiet. Zane is not only paying for the reconstruction of the Excel dorm, but also sponsoring next weeks big duel. We cannot afford to loose this."

Crowler was silent for a moment.

"This is really about Alexis isn't it? It's that deal you made with her father."

Sheppard glared and slammed his fist down.

"Don't ever talk of that again! Besides, that deal fell through years ago when Banner died. Now if you'll excuse me, I must be on my way to deliver this."

''

Alexis opened her eyes slowly and looked around.

Zane was sitting beside her, watching her intently as he softly rubbed a cool damp cloth over her forehead.

He stopped and laid it aside as she started to sit up.

He spoke softly as he took her hand.

"You had quite a fainting spell there. Are you okay?"

She dropped back with a heavy sigh, feeling the room begin to spin.

"It...that voice just. I'm really tired."

He frowned and moved to the side of the bed.

"You've been out almost an hour. Do you want me to call a nurse?"

She was silent for a moment as she stared up at him.

"He's not human Zane."

He stared at her.

"What do you mean?"

She looked out the window, watching the sun set over the cliff as tears came to her eyes.

"I've never seen anything like that in my life. His eyes were too big and they were glowing this eerie green. When he left he told me not to follow and his eyes began to glow. I saw part of his face as he left. His skin was bright orange. He can't be human."

Zane kissed her softly.

"I'm not going to let you out of my sight again until this thing is caught. I'm having guards posted outside your door at night too."

She stopped him as he began to stand.

"Zane...he was after my necklace. I think he thought the one I was wearing was the one you gave to me...instead, he managed to get the locket that my brother gave me before he left."

He smiled softly and stood.

"I'll get it back Alexis. I promise. You rest for a few moments while I let poor Jaden know that you're okay and get you some water."

She nodded silently.

When he had closed the door, she went straight to her jewelry box and unlocked it.

She gave a sigh of relief as she found Zane's gift in the place she'd left it.

She'd forgotten to put it on that morning and she was glad for that.

A gentle pair of hands lifted it from its resting place and placed it around her neck.

"I'm glad it wasn't stolen. I hung onto it for a little over a year and I'd be disappointed if it were taken from you so soon after I gave it to you. You do like it?"

She smiled brightly and turned to him.

"I love it! I was just in a rush this morning and didn't bother with jewelry...I'm glad I didn't though, he might have been successful. Zane...sit with me for a while please."

He smiled and wrapped his arm around her waist as he lead her out onto her balcony.

"Of course. I'm sure there are many things you'd like to hear about the time I've been away."

She smiled softly as she looked into his eyes.

"Indeed. Starting with why you're reopening the old dorm..."


	4. Chapter 4

A/n: in this chapter: We go inside the life of the changed Professor Banner, and Crowler gets a scare while Zane tries to organize the girl's duel. Only three paragraphs this time cause they're long. Ps: is anyone reading this at all?

''

Chapter Three:

''

Banner sighed heavily as he sunk into the chair at his desk and pulled a book off the stack closest to him.

He dropped the necklace onto the desk beside it and frowned.

'One hundred and fifteen books and not one of them has the spell those foolish boys were using. I studied this my entire life and yet I am powerless to change this hideous form.'

He picked up the silver locket and opened it.

In the left side was a picture of Alexis and Adacus as children, and in the right, their parents.

'I'm sorry that I took the wrong necklace. I'll return it to you soon Alexis.'

He closed it and placed it in the drawer.

He suddenly shivered as he closed his eyes.

The events of that morning were playing themselves out again before him.

Try as he might, he could not escape the look of fear in her eyes.

The half of his mind that was still human wanted to catch her as she fell.

Wanted to look into her eyes and tell her he was sorry and that he'd never hurt her.

She was always his favorite next to Jaden.

So very intelligent and beautiful, yet so strong willed all at once.

As he thought about her, he began to resent Zane even more.

He'd seen him kiss her more than once and jealousy began to tear at him.

Quietly, always so silently he'd wanted her to be his.

Even before his death he'd had a spark for her.

Then suddenly he smiled as he realized she didn't have a clue as to who he was.

If he was going to get the two things he wanted most dearly, he would turn to a book he'd read long ago...for a little help.

''

Zane let out a heavy sigh as he glanced over the register info on the two hundred girls entering.

Funny enough there never seemed to be any Slypher girls, but that was only a minor curiosity to him.

He was grateful for the fact that there was an even number of competitors, but so many were going to cause him stress.

He hadn't realized nearly the entire female population of Duel Academy was going to enter.

Suddenly a smile crossed his lips as he found Alexis' duel stats and info in the stack and there wasn't a doubt in his mind that she would be at least in the top three, if not the grand-prize winner.

It was well past midnight when he had finished sorting out the match ups and went up to his room.

Since Alexis was right down the hall, he decided to check on her.

He frowned as he found the room to be lit and the door open, but Alexis not in sight.

Suddenly he felt someone standing behind him and heard the voice of this phantom character.

"We're alone Zane. I could kill you at this second."

Sensing movement he swung around and slammed his fist into the wall, pinning the smaller form beneath him.

He wrenched back at the startled cry.

Realizing it was Alexis his eyes grew wide and he took her hand, falling to his knees.

"Please forgive me."

She blinked for a moment, allowing her heart to settle.

"What's going on?"

He stood, himself shaking.

"He was right behind me and then suddenly it was you. I thought it was him."

He pulled her closer and kissed her softly.

"I must have been imagining things. I'm sorry to have scared you. I'm just on edge right now."

She smiled softly.

"It's okay. You really shouldn't be here right now though. If Crowler catches us I'll get into trouble."

He nodded, kissing her once more before stepping back out into the hall.

"Goodnight Alexis. I'll pick you up tomorrow at six."

She smiled brightly.

"Okay than. Goodnight."

''

Doctor Crowler was by no means a superstitious man.

He wasn't afraid of vampires; duel monsters come to life, or anything of the sort.

Tonight however, he was going to learn a valuable lesion...never tempt fate.

He decided to find out just who was taking up residence in the old building.

So in full ninja gear and Crowler style, he snuck out to the dorm.

It was Thursday and he was happy to see that most of the construction was complete.

As he entered the front hall he tripped over an empty paint can and went sprawling into the far wall with series of loud screeches and hollers...alerting Banner of his presence.

At first the ex teacher was angry that, of all people, the annoying Crowler had invaded his space.

But then he decided to use some of the abilities that came with this strange new body.

One of those was melting into shadows and walking through walls.

His catlike eyes allowed him to track the obviously very nervous doctor up to the second floor where he decided to have a little fun.

Melting into the shadows he slid up the wall and onto the ceiling where he stuck his head down, following Crowler like that until he came to a door.

"Oh Doctor."

He smirked as Crowler froze, shaking in his shoes.

The now scared stiff doctor turned on the balls of his feet, still in pose to open the door.

Banner found it very difficult not to laugh at the trembling voice.

"W-who's there!"

He took off his hat and placed it on Crowler's head.

"Above you doctor. May I bid you welcome to my new home. Pray tell, what are you doing here."

As expected he simply began to run, however Banner headed him off at the stairs, pulling himself up through the floor, arms folded.

"Where do you think you're going with my hat?"

Crowler screamed and ran the other way but yet again Banner appeared in front of him.

"Doctor...if you scream one more time I'm afraid I'm going to have to make you stop."

He reached out and took his hat back.

Crowler backed up against the wall as Banner slid closer, never allowing his feet to leave the shadows.

"Well? What do you want Doctor? Must I beat an answer out of you?"

Crowler shivered at the inhuman voice.

"N-nothing I swear! I...I was just making sure you got the money! That's all!"

Banner crossed his arms and glared, making his eyes glow.

"You came to take it back, don't lie to me. I'm very familiar with you and I knew you wouldn't just stand by and let Sheppard give me the money. I'll give you one chance to get out of here. I will not be held responsible to what happens to you, should you not take your leave."

Crowler began to move but a gloved hand reached out and wrapped around his throat.

"If you ever come back here, you will die. Now go, and make sure Zane knows that I'm serious. The basement is my domain. Any workers that enter the sacred space will die. So say the phantom of the Excel dorm!"

And with that, he melted back through the floor as Crowler ran screaming into the night.


	5. Chapter 5

A/n: K so I'm back with a couple of chapters since I lost all personal time I had for the last three months. Anyway, been debating if I should let you in on the secret that you find out at the end, or not. It won't be a secret and a big plot twist if you know a head of time, but I also might lose readers if I don't. So just stick with me and if you really want to know why I did what I did, pm me and I'll explain.

Chapter four: The date.

''

Friday couldn't go by quickly enough for Alexis and she headed straight to her room as soon as her last class let out.

She had three hours to dress and put on her make up and jewelry and she intended on making the most of every minute to look perfect.

She'd just slipped into her dress however, when there was a knock at her door.

She gave herself a quick glance before answering and found a forlorn looking Jaden.

"Hey Alexis, I know you're getting ready for your date but...I need to tell you something important."

She smiled softly and stepped aside.

"You can talk to me while I do my hair."

He stepped in and closed the door.

"You seem happy."

She looked up at him with concern.

"Well yes, I am. Why do you look so upset?"

He smiled softly and closed his eyes.

"Listen...Professor Banners ghost came to me last night."

She was silent for a moment.

"Professor...Banner? Why? What did he say?"

Jaden sighed deeply.

"I'm to be the go between to and from you. He has instructions for us and his first message is to give you this."

Tears sprang to her eyes suddenly as he let her locket dangle from his fingers.

She took it from and hugged him tightly.

"Thank you so much!"

He looked up into her eyes and smiled.

"Don't thank me. Banner found it in the basement of the Excel Dorm. He wanted to give it back to you but doesn't know how on earth you dropped it there."

She stepped back as she put it back on.

"Did you tell him that it was stolen?"

He nodded.

"He says everything is going to be okay now. He'll protect you from that creature."

She smiled brightly as she walked over to her desk.

"Well I guess in that case I'll have to thank both of you. You for bringing it to me, and Banner for finding it. You just don't know how upset I was without this."

Jaden smiled as he placed his hand on her shoulder.

"I know how much your family means to you, so of course I understand you must have been upset. Have fun tonight with Zane."

She giggled and nodded.

"Thanks Jaden. I'm sure I will."

He reached into his pocket and pulled something out, laying it on her desk.

"Please give this to Zane but tell him not to open it until you come back."

Before she could respond to this, he was gone.

''

Alexis was apprehensive for a while as she and Zane were seated at a table in an elegant restaurant on the mainland.

Zane looked just as apprehensive and he and Alexis decided to break the silence at the same time.

"Jaden asked me to..."

And they stopped, staring at each other before Alexis giggled.

"Okay you go first."

Zane reached into his pocket and pulled out a familiar looking envelope.

"Jaden stopped by my room earlier and asked me to give this to you with the instruction not to open it until tomorrow morning."

Alexis puzzled at it as she took it from him and reached into her handbag, pulling out a matching letter.

"That's really weird. Jaden stopped by my room earlier and asked me to give this to you with instructions not to open it until we get back to the island."

Zane cautiously took it from her, each staring at the small letters in their hands.

"I wonder what's up with that. Couldn't he have just given it to us himself?"

Alexis frowned at this.

"Did he say anything about Professor Banner to you?"

Zane's eyes widened.

"He said he was going to be the go between to and from me. Let me guess, he told you the same?"

She nodded.

"Something really weird is going on. He seemed really upset. I'm worried."

Zane nodded.

"As am I. Especially with this creature on the loose. Something's up, and first thing tomorrow morning I'm going to get to the bottom of it. I want you to be careful when playing in the tournament and don't take that necklace off."

She glanced down and slipped the sapphire pendant into her shirt.

"But I don't think anyone should know that I'm wearing it. That's why my locket was stolen. He thought I had it on. Should we wait to open the letters?"

Zane thought carefully about this.

"We have no idea what's in these letters. I think we should wait until the specified times."

Alexis sighed heavily and slipped into her handbag, while Zane slipped his into his pocket.

He gently took her hand and kissed her palm.

"Now that business is aside, let's focus on our evening shall we?"

Alexis smiled and nodded, losing herself in Zane's intense eyes.

''

After dinner Zane lead Alexis to a moonlit lake where a blanket had been set out for them.

She glanced up at him, confused as they sat together on it.

"What's going on?"

He simply smirked and pressed a finger on his jacket collar.

"We are in place. Please begin."

He took her hand into his and kissed her.

A sudden bright light shot up from the other side of the lake and Zane wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer.

"Just watch."

Alexis couldn't help but smile as she rested her head against Zane's shoulder and watched a fireworks show in his arms.

After nearly thirty minutes of dazzling lights, Zane spoke into his collar again.

"Prepare the finale."

He kissed her ear and whispered.

"Pay close attention to the last one."

Suddenly thirty roman candles went off at the same time, and in the wake of their sparkling amber ashes, came the four largest ones of the night, and written in the middle of each were the words.

"I love you Alexis"

And Zane whispered this to her again when everything was quiet.

She turned to him, eyes sparkling with tears.

"Thank you, it's so beautiful."

He smiled softly and brushed away her tears before kissing her softly.

"If I'm allowed a second date, it will only get better from here."

She smiled softly with a nod.

"I think this deserves a second date...maybe a third or a fourth too. Zane..."

He looked deep into her moonlit eyes.

"Yes?"

She placed her other hand over his.

"I really like you and I'd like to keep seeing you."

He smiled.

"Good, because you won't get rid of me easily...we should be heading back to the island now."

''

Professor Banner sat at his desk, reading with some semblance of a smile on what could be considered his mouth, though it served him no real purpose.

For the time that he was reading he could forget that he was now a hideous monster, that life was any different than before.

After finishing the chapter he closed the book and set it down, running his fingers over the title with a bitter smile.

"If I must become the phantom to finish the foolish work of school boys, than I'll do so to the fullest meaning of the character. I am forced to recognize the similarities already there...Alexis will not only be the key to giving me a lasting body, but I will also make her into a star duelist."

There was one advantage to being a duel monster.

They certainly understood the game they were played in, and with the abilities and look of Witty Phantom, also came the knowledge of every match it had been involved in.

Every card and in it's own deck, as well as the opponents played cards.

Banner decided to use it to teach Alexis so she would win the Sky Pad.

From there it would be easy to manipulate her into finding out where the book went to, and take the necklace he needed to complete the spell.

Thanks to the wonderful book, Banner now knew exactly how to get what he wanted...no matter who stood in his way and the first person he was going to take out of the picture was Jaden.


	6. Chapter 6

A/n: Stick with me here and please don't flame. Also, I may update more chapters tonight as I'm stuck here will about 1.

Chapter four: Jaden's disappearance.

''

The letter written to Zane was nothing more than one man to another, asking that Zane keep his intentions pure.

While he didn't disclose what was said to Alexis, he assured her that his note was nothing serious.

The next morning Alexis opened hers to find nothing more than a duel card.

She stared at it for a few moments until she realized with horror where she'd seen it before.

She ran down the hall and pounded on Zane's door, out of breath and almost in tears.

Zane answered sleepy eyed but quickly pulled her in and sat her in a chair as he took the envelope from her.

"What's wrong?!"

She closed her eyes, dropping her head into her hands.

"I think he's dead! That monster! That monster is the Witty Phantom! Jaden...the letter wasn't a letter at all it was that card! I know something's happened to him!"

Zane's eyes widened in shock as he stared at the card coming to his senses.

"Before we make any assumptions, let's check his room and talk to Sheppard."

He took her hand and gently pulled her to her feet.

"Don't cry Alexis, I'm sure everything will be fine. You know how Jaden is, he probably was trying to be nice and didn't realize it would scare you."

Yet even as he spoke these words, they both felt he was wrong.

''

Alexis sat alone in her room that afternoon after a long talk with the Sheppard.

Indeed Jaden was missing and the only clues to what had happened was a completely wrecked room and a few drops of blood by the door.

She could only imagine what had gone on to warrant such a disaster and she truly feared the worst.

She closed her eyes, trying to fight off a new set of tears.

Suddenly her eyes snapped open as she heard a familiar voice.

"Alexis..."

She stood from her bed and looked around.

"Professor Banner?"

Again the voice came.

"Yes Alexis. I came to tell you that Jaden is not dead, but he is in terrible danger."

She finally managed to confirm that the voice was coming from behind her dressing mirror.

"Where are you? What happened to Jaden?"

There was a long silence and suddenly an image appeared in the mirror.

"I have learned to travel through light and mirror. This is where I am and here I will be when next I come to you. In order to save Jaden you must win the sky pad in the Excel dorm."

She stepped closer to the mirror, staring at the familiar yet eerie face.

"I don't want it. Isn't there another way?"

Banner sighed deeply.

"Why do you not want it? No I'm sorry, there is no other way."

She closed her eyes tightly.

"It's too much. Everything is just too much for me. There's a duel monster that's after a necklace that Zane just gave to me. He's in the basement of the Excel dorm. I won't feel safe."

Banner spoke soothingly to her.

"I will protect you from the evil monster. Trust in me, do as I say, and everything will turn out in the end."

She looked up into the face for a moment and sighed deeply.

"Alright..."

The face slowly faded away and she was left alone.

A knock on her door startled her and she opened it to find Zane.

"Who were you talking to just now?"

Alexis looked back towards her mirror and subconsciously took hold of the necklace he'd given her.

"I…think it was Professor Banner's ghost. He said Jaden is still alive but he's in trouble and I can help him by winning the sky pad."

Zane smiled at this for a moment. "You don't think you would have anyway? I might as well give you the card and the money now…you're the best and I know you'll win."

Alexis smiled softly in spite of herself as Zane took her hands into his.

"I'm glad you have such confidence in me. I'll play my best for you."

Zane couldn't take his eyes from hers and leaned even closer.

"Alexis…if I tell you that I'm in love with you will you run away from me?"

Her eyes slid closed and whispered.

"No."

He released her hands and wrapped his arms around her tightly, whispering into her ear.

"I love you."

She was disappointed as he pulled away.

His voice was strained as he looked back at her.

"I should go. I just came to see if you were okay."

She nodded.

"I'm fine."

He nodded with a small smile and left.

Banner took hold of Jaden's arm and dragged him into the shadows, reemerging in his basement home.

The boy watched as the books went flying in a fit of rage.

"The next thing you do is to keep those two from getting any closer!"

Jaden sighed and began to pick up the books.

"Yes sir."

At first he'd fought the half insane professor and that had cost him a broken lip and a lot of pain and so decided to help him and try to sway the once good man back to sanity; or some semblance there of.

He was banners voice since he was unable to replicate his old one.

Banner had remembered a time when he'd caught Jaden doing a very good imitation of him and decided to use that talent to trick Alexis into believing it was his ghost talking to her.

Jaden simply prayed that he'd be able to help the professor before it was too late to save him.


	7. The wager

A/n: yeah I know, it's been what…three years since I last updated? Well I can't promise I'll be updating regularly again, but I'm going to at least try to finish this particular story.

Chapter six: The Wager

"If we should forget ourselves and run away…"

Alexis was feeling a little strange after talking to Banner that afternoon.

Zane looked over at her from his paper work as he set about pairing the first day of dueling.

"Hm?"

She closed her eyes tightly.

"We would never again be forced to listen to what the elders say."

He stared at her a bit blankly for a moment before trying his damndest to answer her.

"When did you start writing poetry? It sounds…mystical…"

She shrugged and glanced out the window.

"I don't really write it. I just get random things in my head sometimes. Mostly when I think about Atticus."

Her hand subconsciously went to her locket with a sigh.

Zane set down his pen and reached out to take her hand.

"Where did he go anyway?"

She looked over at him with a look of sadness in her eyes.

"Home. Father wanted him to work in the family business rather than duel. I imagine when my schooling is up, he'll call me home too. I haven't talked to him about it yet, but I think I want to stay on and be a teacher. Sheppard offered me a position and a salary I can't really turn down."

He was silent for a moment. "That's only three months Alexis. Don't you think you should bring that up?"

She frowned. "I will. But I was going to wait until my parents come for my graduation. I'm just not looking forward to the fight."

He wrapped his arms around her tightly and kissed her forehead. "If you want me to be, I'll be there with you."

She rested her head against his shoulder with a small sigh. "What were you doing here? What will you do when you leave?"

He was silent for a long moment. "I haven't really thought about it. I don't even know when I'm going to leave the island. It's kind of home for me."

They sat quietly for a while longer after that until Zane went back to his papers. "I hope you don't mind me pairing you randomly. I didn't think it was fair to match you deliberately."

She shook her head. "of course not. I'm really only entering to have fun. It would look bad if you paired me differently." She grinned. "Besides, I'm next to the best around here. It wasn't just my fathers money that got me in the obelisk dorm!"

He laughed. "Okay, okay. You're a great duelist."

She giggled and stood. "I think I'm going to go for a walk before it gets dark. I haven't been to my old spot in a long time."

He nodded as he turned back to the papers he had strewen out over the table. "Be careful, and make sure you're back before dark."

She nodded and kissed his cheek before skipping out.

He frowned slightly as he looked up after her. 'You're awfully happy…I wonder what could be wrong.'

''

"We've woken a monster…"

"There's no hope for Duel Academy now…"

"It was horrible!"

"There were things that were alive that shouldn't have been!"

"And there was a body! It was the professors!"

"But it was dead!"

The two students had woken.

Sheppard was staring coldly at them.

"We already know what you've woken. We need to know what you did to wake it if he have any hope of setting it right."

The two looked at each other for a moment as Sheppard spoke again.

"Fess up. Which one of you hatched the plan and what did you do?"

The older of the two sighed deeply.

"It was me. Professor Banner was my idol. We wanted him to come back and we found a spell book in his old room in the slifer dorm. It said that we needed a picture, candles, and it showed us this symbol we had to draw. But I remembered seeing it in the old dorm."

Sheppard frowned deeply and crossed his arms.

"I'll ignore your blatant confession to going to places you know you're not supposed to if you tell me where this book went."

The younger raised his hand and Sheppard sighed as he nodded.

"it…it got caught up in a giant tornado of shadows! They ate it! But it didn't have a reversal spell! There was a picture of an amulet that the spell came from!"

Sheppard wasn't sure what to do with the two now.

"get back to your dorm. And if I catch you sneaking around again you'll be expelled."

And with that, he left.

Jaden sat quietly in the corner of the room, watching his former teacher ravage book after book.

"Hey…"

Banner stopped and sat back to acknowledge him but didn't turn or speak.

"Why are you so obsessed with Alexis lately? I don't get it. You weren't in love with her before were you?"

Banner was silent for a moment longer.

"This form is starting to drive me insane. But there is a better reason. Years ago I was made a proposition with her father."

Jaden stood slowly and approached cautiously.

"What kind of proposition?"

Banner looked up at him, the large catlike eyes almost appearing human for a few brief moments as he spoke.

Six years earlier

Professor banner was called into Sheppard's Office.

He was quite confused as he saw a tall man in his mid thirties who looked very sternly down at him.

"You're the esteemed professor Banner?"

He tilted his head a bit in confusion.

"Esteemed? Really? I am the professor but I was unaware that I had a reputation."

The other man frowned slightly.

"We don't know each other but I know all about you and what you're trying to do."

He stiffened slightly and set pharaoh down, looking up at Sheppard.

"You know this man?"

He was growing nervous as his comrade nodded.

"He's here to offer you something I'm not completely sure I agree with. However the decision is yours."

Banner looked back at the man.

"What is it? What could you offer me?"

The man smiled a bit, but it was not a friendly smile.

"When my daughter is of age, I offer you her as your wife, if you will help me with some…experiments."

Banner was silent for a long moment.

"Chancelor Sheppard, may I speak with him in private?"

Sheppard frowned but stood and left.

"Why me?"

The man smiled.

"Because I know what you are and I know what I want and I also know that you are the man who will help me."

Banner frowned at this.

"My own experiments are incomplete and so far, none of them have offered more than a temporary body."

The strangers smile grew wider.

"That's because I have one half of the equasion and you have the other…so to speak. It's a win win situation for both of us."

Banner bit his bottom lip in heavy thought.

He'd never imagined a wife, but with a real body…

"Very well…I accept."

Jaden frowned softly.

"I think I get it. But you really seem to have feelings for her. I'm worried."

Banner's face contorted into a cross between pain and confusion.

"I don't understand it myself."

Jaden stared down at him, heart torn.

"can you promise you won't hurt her? You…you're a good friend and so is she. And I would hate to see her hurt. You know…she's in love with Zane right?"

Banner growled, narrowing his eyes at the boy before him.

"If my intention was to hurt her I'd have done it by now. She has something I want is all. My feelings don't matter. She'd have turned me down anyway and I wasn't about to force her."

Jaden gave a sigh of relief and slinked back to his corner.

"Do you think I can get her to give it to me? She thinks I'm you right? What if we just ask her to give us the necklace? Don't you think that would work?"

Banner shook his head.

"Think about who gave it to her Jaden, she won't part with it without his consent, and he will not consent to it. Besides, if she's in the new excel dorm she'll be right above us. I can borrow it without her knowing that it's gone and return it just as quietly."

Jaden sighed heavily and closed his eyes.

He decided sleep would help sort out his mind.


End file.
